Hooters Bikini Contest -- The Real Winner ... Is Clinton Portis!

Ex-NFL star Clinton Portis was surrounded by 100 super hot half-naked women last night at the Hooters bikini pageant ... just 1 week after news broke about his alleged financial issues.

Talk about the ultimate pick--me-up ...

Portis -- along with UFC star Forrest Griffin and U.S. snowboarder Scotty Lago -- were judges at the 2015 Miss Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

BTW -- the winner was Meagan Pastorchik from South Carolina.

"I had the greatest time. It was amazing," Portis tells us ... "I'd sign a lifetime contract [to be a judge] right now!"

Just last week, reports surfaced that Portis owes more than $1 million to creditors ... but he insisted he was handling the situation and everything "will be okay."